Children's Home run by Aspris New Education Services Limited in Lancashire

Unique reference number SC443959 Inspection date 24/10/2013 Inspector Gillian Walters Type of inspection Full Provision subtype Children's home

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Date of last inspection 12/06/2013 Website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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This document may be reproduced in whole or in part for non-commercial educational purposes, provided that the information quoted is reproduced without adaptation and the source and date of publication are stated.

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Brief description of the service

The home is maintained by an independent company. The home is registered for eight young people with learning disabilities, three of whom can be accommodated on a short break basis.

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The inspection judgements and what they mean

Outstanding : a service of exceptional quality that significantly exceeds minimum requirements Good : a service of high quality that exceeds minimum requirements Adequate : a service that only meets minimum requirements Inadequate : a service that does not meet minimum requirements

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Overall effectiveness

The overall effectiveness is judged to be good .

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Overall effectiveness

This home provides good, consistent and well-planned care that enables young people to make good progress and promotes positive outcomes in all key aspects of their development. Young people receive highly individualised care and consistent support that enables them to form good attachments with staff. This means that young people have developed trusting relationships with staff and feel positive reassurance in their environment. Families and placing authorities confirm confidence in the care provided and that young people are making positive achievements. One parent commented, ‘We feel he has settled really well. He gets excited when he knows he is attending. It provides adequate respite and it’s keeping him safe and giving him the experience of being away from home.’

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Overall effectiveness

Young people are actively encouraged to contribute to their care planning, expressing their views and wishes using the preferred communication method that they are most familiar with. For some this may include the use of drawings or picture exchange as well as, or instead of verbal communication. The home is also proactive in supporting young people with access to independent advocacy services. This ensures that some good opportunities exist for young people to express their wishes and feelings and to have their rights promoted.

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Overall effectiveness

The Registered Manager and her management team work closely ensuring that the home is effectively and efficiently managed. There is a good shared understanding of the home’s strengths and areas for further development. Robust auditing arrangements exist to ensure that the quality of care and activity within the home are regularly monitored. This promotes confidence in the home’s performance and enables prompt action to be taken to address concerns or areas for improvement.

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Overall effectiveness

As a result of this inspection three requirements are made to promote improvement in the service. These relate to the quality of recording in physical intervention records, the provision of supervision to newly employed staff and the home’s Statement of Purpose. Additionally one recommendation is made to further develop the opportunities for obtaining and documenting young people’s views.

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Statutory Requirements

This section sets out the actions which must be taken so that the registered person/s meets the Care Standards Act 2000, Children's Homes Regulations 2001 and the National Minimum Standards. The registered person(s) must comply with the given timescales.

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that the registered person notifies the HMCI of any revisions to the Statement of Purpose within 28 days (Regulation 5(b)) 02/12/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that following the use of any measure of control, discipline or restraint a written record is made in a volume kept for the purpose that includes all matters as required by regulation. This relates particularly to the detail recorded in relation to young people's medical checks and staff de-briefing following a restraint (Regulation 17B(3)) 02/12/2013

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Reg. Requirement Due date

(2001) ensure that all persons employed receive appropriate supervision. This relates specifically to the frequency of supervision offered to newly appointed staff.(Regulation 27(4)(a)) 02/12/2013

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Recommendations

To improve the quality and standards of care further the service should take account of the following recommendation(s):

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Recommendations

 ensure that all children communicate their views on all aspects of their care and support. This relates specifically to ensuring that they have the benefit of regular individual or group sessions that enables them sufficient opportunity to reflect and have their views recorded on all key aspects of their care. (NMS 1.3)

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Outcomes for children and young people

Outcomes for young people are good . Young people benefit from thorough assessment of their needs prior to their placement within this home and comprehensive planning that takes good account of the range and complexity of their needs. The home works closely with parents, young people and their placing authorities to ensure that their specific needs, individual routines and preferences are successfully identified and appropriately addressed in their care planning. This ensures that young people settle quickly into the home, feeling safe and effectively supported by staff that are well informed and sensitive to their needs. Young people and their parents are actively encouraged to participate in the planning and review process, ensuring that they have good opportunity to influence the quality of care provided. An Independent Reviewing Officer noted of one young person that he had made ‘more progress than she could

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Outcomes for children and young people

have imagined’ since moving to the home.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people’s health care needs are well understood and documented, ensuring that staff have the information and guidance required to enable them to effectively promote good health. Young people are supported to understand the importance of good health care routines, such as healthy diet, good dental care and personal hygiene routines. This promotes their awareness of healthy lifestyles and enables them to establish positive routines that help in building positive self-esteem. Young people benefit from the home’s carefully planned environment that takes account of their individual needs. For example, the home has sensory facilities available for those young people that enjoy and can benefit from additional stimulation, and also has less stimulating areas for those that experience extreme sensory sensitivity. This has the positive effect of reducing young people’s anxieties, giving them good opportunity to develop skills that increase both their confidence and self-esteem.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people share positive relationships with staff and benefit from the range of care and support they provide. For those young people receiving short breaks, the home provides a positive experience of time away from their family, enabling them good opportunity to develop independence and improve their social skills. Young people are fully supported to participate in activities of their choice that appeal to their individual interests and provide fun and enjoyment. One parent commented, ‘she is happy to go to the home and happy when I collect her.’ For other young people, the home is proactive in encouraging and supporting contact with family members as is consistent with their care planning. This ensures that young people are able to maintain and develop their relationships with those that are important to them.

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Outcomes for children and young people

Young people are effectively supported in their learning and are making good progress. Staff accompany young people into school and assist teaching staff with young people’s individual learning programmes. This means young people experience good continuity of care and consistent support across the home and school environment. As a result of these arrangements, staff have a good understanding of young people’s communication and learning requirements and are able to promote effective communication and learning strategies within the home environment to sustain and develop their achievements.

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Quality of care

Staff have a clear understanding of young people’s individual needs and personalities. This enables them to develop positive and constructive relationships with young people. Young people are offered consistent reassurance and encouragement and are treated with respect and sensitivity. As a result they feel safe and well cared for and have appropriate trust in staff. One parent noted, ‘If staff are new his needs are fully explained before they work with him.’ Another parent identified the strength of the home as being ‘the continuity of staff who know and understand’ her daughter’s needs.

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Quality of care

Young people benefit from comprehensive care planning that is successful in detailing and addressing the complex nature of their individual needs and abilities. Young people, their families and a range of relevant professional are fully involved in the care planning process ensuring that their views are taken into account and contribute to achieving high quality plans that successfully inform and guide staff in their caring responsibilities. The planning process provides young people with good opportunity, with respect to their age and ability, to identify their preferences, likes and dislikes. Some young people are clearly able to contribute their views and positively influence the running of the home and arrangements for their daily living. A good example of this was the home’s creation of laundry facilities following a request from one young person to have such facilities closer to his room, improving

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Quality of care

convenience and his independence. However, the home does not provide regular forums or meetings for young people to share or raise such views. Additionally, documented one-to-one sessions with staff do not provide sufficient detail to confirm that young people’s views are being routinely sought. As a result there cannot be confidence that all young people have regular and consistent opportunities to contribute their views. Young people and their families know how to complain should they have a concern. The home has recently produced additional guidance for young people in picture format to ensure that all young people are familiar with their rights.

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Quality of care

Young people live in a home that is comfortable and maintained to a high standard. The home provides a comfortable, spacious and safe environment and is well designed to meet the diverse needs of the young people using the service. The home is situated in a quiet residential area close to all local amenities and places of interest. Young people are able to access a good range of activities that include swimming, cycling, safe play centres, outings to local beaches, parks and army cadets. These activities enable young people good opportunities to socialise, have fun and feel part of their wider community. Young people also enjoy the home’s enclosed garden that provides an adequate and safe outdoor play and recreation area.

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Quality of care

The home promotes good arrangements for the storage, administration and monitoring of young people’s medication. The home’s procedure supports good practice and provides sufficient clarity for all staff working within the home. This includes administration of medication only by staff that have received appropriate training and observation of practice and regular auditing of medication supplies and administration records. The home’s auditing arrangements proved effective in swiftly identifying a recent error that had been made in medication administration. Appropriate action was taken to notify all relevant parties and thoroughly investigate the incident. The home was able to demonstrate transparency in dealing with this matter and confirm that error was not the result of a shortfall in either procedure or systems. This incident did not impact negatively on the young person’s health or well-being.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The service is good at keeping children and young people safe and feeling safe.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff are committed to ensuring that young people feel safe and secure at all times. The home has good staffing arrangements that ensure young people consistently have sufficient, qualified and experienced staff to meet their individual needs. Bullying is not identified as a concern within this home but staff are vigilant and aware of the potential for such behaviour. The home has good arrangements in place to deal with such behaviour should it be suspected or reported. Young people are highly supervised in the home and when out on trips or activities. There have not been any reported incidents of young people absent or missing from the home. However, staff are familiar local protocols and procedures and are prepared for such an event should it occur.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Staff benefit from regular child protection training and are familiar with the home’s safeguarding procedures. This enables them to have clarity in relation to their role and responsibilities in promoting young people’s safety and welfare. Staff receive regular training in behaviour management and appropriate intervention techniques, ensuring that their knowledge remains current and that their skills are maintained and refreshed.

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Safeguarding children and young people

Young people have well documented behaviour management plans and individual risk assessments that provide staff with clear strategies and responses that are known to be effective in de-escalating negative behaviours quickly and safely. Staff confirm the use of restraint only as a last resort when it is essential to protect the young person or others from harm. Documentation exists to support the occasions when such intervention has been necessary. However, during this inspection some shortfalls were identified in the quality of recording in some records. These related primarily to insufficient detail concerning both staff de-briefing and the medical check offered to young people following any incident of restraint. This meant that some records were less than complete and did not provide a full and comprehensive overview of the occasion when the measure was used.

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Safeguarding children and young people

The home has robust arrangements in place for the recruitment and selection of staff. The arrangements that exist reflect safer recruitment practice. They are designed to protect young people from adults that may do them harm and ensure that they are only looked after by adults who have been deemed as safe and competent to do so. Young people live in an environment that is physically safe and appropriately secure. The home has been thoroughly risk assessed to identify and address any potential hazards that may be a source of harm to health or safety. Regular maintenance and routine checks are carried out on the home’s fire fighting equipment and utilities to ensure that they remain in good working order. Young people are supported to understand the home’s fire escape plan and partipate with staff in regular fire evacuation drills. This ensures that young people and staff are familiar with, and have practiced their escape route from the premises and are prepared for such an

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Leadership and management

The leadership and management of the children's home are good .

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Leadership and management

The home is efficiently and effectively managed and led by a permanent Registered Manager supported by a small team of deputy managers with delegated responsibilities. All have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities ensuring the smooth running of the home. The Registered Manager is skilled, experienced and has a thorough knowledge of the complex needs of the young people accessing the service. Staff respect her knowledge and skill and speak positively about her ability ‘to get things done.’ One member of staff commented, ‘she is very thorough and deals with matters quickly.’

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Leadership and management

The staff team identify clear strengths in team work and also the home’s commitment to working in close partnership with young people, their families and professionals. This ensures that young people’s needs are fully understood, enabling appropriate identification of the support and additional services they are likely to require.

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Leadership and management

Generally staff benefit from good of levels of support that enable them to successfully carry out their duties. All permanent staff possess or are working towards a relevant qualification in working with children and young people. Staff have good training opportunities to ensure that they are able to further develop their knowledge and skills, particularly with young people who have complex and diverse needs. Supervision is provided regularly to ensure that good opportunities exist for staff support. This also enables managers good opportunity to explore and address individual performance issues and promote staff development. However, it was identified during this inspection that newly appointed staff were only offered the same frequency of supervision as existing members of staff. This means that new staff have not benefited from more frequent supervision arrangements that would have acknowledged and taken account of their need for greater guidance and

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Leadership and management

support in a new role. Additionally, management have missed opportunities to formally assess the progress of new staff during their probationary period.

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Leadership and management

The home has suitably addressed two requirements made as a result of their interim inspection on 12 June 2013 and a further three requirements following an unannounced visit by Ofsted on 13 August 2013. The home has successfully implemented arrangements as detailed in their safeguarding policy that ensures prompt referral to the local authority should concerns arise. In addition, arrangements have been strengthened to ensure that Ofsted is notified of any significant events. Both these improvements promote greater transparency of the home’s working practice.

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Leadership and management

The home has introduced new arrangements that strengthen the general quality of supervision, ensuring that observation of staff practice becomes a routine part of the supervision process and that written supervision plans are successfully implemented without delay.

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Leadership and management

The home has strengthened its practice in promoting positive behaviour to support improved outcomes for young people. It has successfully reviewed and updated its behaviour management policy and the content of young people’s individual behaviour management plans. This ensures sufficient detail and clarity exists to inform and support consistent responses from the staff team.

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Leadership and management

The home has recently updated its Statement of Purpose. It provides current and appropriate information concerning the operation of the home and planned care arrangements. However, a copy of this revised document has not been received by Ofsted as regulation requires.

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Leadership and management

The home is well resourced and there are rigorous arrangements in place to successfully monitor the quality of care and activity within the home. The Registered Manager oversees regular management auditing activity within the home and uses her findings from this and the provider’s external monitoring arrangements to develop and prioritise actions that will sustain improvement within the home. This is successful in informing the home’s annual development plan that addresses longer term objectives.

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Leadership and management

Young people’s individual records are comprehensive and enable staff to gain a good understanding of the young person’s background, life experiences and planned arrangements. They are generally well organised and kept up-to-date ensuring the content is current and meaningful. All records and documents are stored securely within the home to ensure that young people’s privacy and confidentiality is maintained

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About this inspection

The purpose of this inspection is to assure children and young people, parents, the public, local authorities and government of the quality and standard of the service provided. The inspection was carried out under the Care Standards Act 2000 to assess the effectiveness of the service and to consider how well it complies with the relevant regulations and meets the national minimum standards.

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About this inspection

The report details the main strengths, any areas for improvement, including any breaches of regulation, and any failure to meet national minimum standards. The judgements included in the report are made against the Inspections of children’s homes – framework for inspection and the evaluation schedule for the inspection of children's homes.

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